Method of remixing digital information

ABSTRACT

There is provided herein a method of defining and storing remixing of existing musical and video works. As a first step, various segments of a digital song or video work are identified, preferably in terms of their starting and ending times. Given the defined loops or video clips, the user next forms a remix of the selected song/video work using those components. The final product, i.e., the resulting remix, can then be completely specified in terms of the loop/clip definitions together with the time at which each of the defined loops/clips appears in the final mix. The remix can thus be compactly stored as a computer file.

[0001] The present invention relates to the general subject matter ofcreating recorded performances and, more specifically, to methods forremixing prerecorded musical compositions, video works, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Within the field of music recording, the term “remix” hastraditionally been used to describe the process of recombining audiotracks or channels from a recording to produce a new or modified audiorecording. That is, performers have long offered “remixed” versions oftheir songs, wherein producers and/or engineers would recombine trackspreviously recorded (or tracks newly recorded for use in the remix) toproduce a different recording variation of the same song.

[0003] Previously this sort of remixing was done by analog means,wherein separately recorded analog tape tracks which might contain, byway of example, different instruments or instrument groups, wererebalanced and/or filtered and recombined onto a traditional stereotape. Additionally, skilled audio engineers might physically cut therecording into pieces and reassemble the pieces (typically by tapingthem together) so that the resulting composition played in a differentorder.

[0004] Today, however, new technologies have been developed which makeit possible for end-users to remix songs using their personal computers.The advent of the digital music (as might be found recorded, forexample, on audio CD's, found within MP3 files, etc.) combined withsophisticated software to manipulate same, have opened up a newpossibilities for the professional and non-professional user.

[0005] As a specific example, many of the computer programs that allow auser to manipulate digital music now provide for “interactive remixing”.Remixing in the modem sense includes, not just the formation of staticrearrangements of an existing musical work, but also the production ofmore dynamic creations, wherein a user “plays along” with a recordingcreated by another and adds, for example, drum hits, scratches, etc., tothe original performance, the composite being termed a “remix” of theoriginal. Obviously, this same technology can be easily adapted to alsoallow a user to create a new song, if that were to be desired.

[0006] One problem with conventional remixes is that the amount of spacenecessary to store each remix is the same as (or even larger than) theoriginal song. The user might want to have many remixes of a song storedon disk during the process of creating a “best” mix according to theuser's taste. However, if the user desires to store multiple remixes ofthe same song, multiple large digital recording files must be stored foreach mix. (For example, in the case of MP3 files, about 1 meg per minuteof recorded song must be stored). Further, if the user would want toshare such a remix with a friend, it would be necessary to transfer theentire digital file to the other user, which might make using conventione-mail prohibitive.

[0007] Additionally, the aforementioned problems apply with equal forceto the remixing of other performance-based digital information. As aspecific example, the user who desires to “remix” digital videoinformation is faced with similar transmission/storage problems. Thatis, the user who wishes to create a new video “composition” from anexisting one, must extract sections of the video, reorder thosesections, and then write the entire rearranged “mix” of videoinformation back to storage. As before, if the user wanted to createmultiple “arrangements” of the video work, each such work wouldnecessarily be separately stored in its entirety, which would requiremultiple megabytes of storage. Similarly, if that user desired to sendthe new video work to another user, the full digital work would need tobe transmitted.

[0008] Thus, what is needed is a method of storing a remix of a digitalwork that offers significant compression over that currently available.Additionally, the method should create a remix file that may beseparately stored and transmitted, independent from the underlyingmusical or video work from which it was assembled.

[0009] Heretofore, as is well known in the music and video industries,there has been a need for an invention to address and solve theabove-described problems. Accordingly, it should now be recognized, aswas recognized by the present inventors, that there exists, and hasexisted for some time, a very real need for a device that would addressand solve the above-described problems.

[0010] Before proceeding to a description of the present invention,however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of theinvention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, shouldnot be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or preferredembodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled inthe art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise otherforms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] There is provided hereinafter an improved method of defining andstoring remixes of existing musical works which provides a more compactmethod of storing such a remix and one which is independent of theunderlying song from which the remix was constructed.

[0012] According to a first preferred embodiment, there is provided amethod of storing digital remixes that begins with the selection of asong to be remixed. As a next step, various segments of the song areidentified, preferably in terms of their starting time and ending time.Each of these segments will be used as a “loop” or discrete soundcomponent in the next step. It should be noted that the length of eachloop might be only a few digital samples, or the length of the entiresong. Obviously, the loops might be selected by the user or predefined.

[0013] Given the defined loops which have been extracted from theoriginal song, the user next creates a remix of the selected song. Thismight be done in many ways, but a first preferred method would be toallow the user to manually select the time-position of each of the loopsaccording to his or her preference. Or, alternatively, the user mightinteractively create his or her own composition in real time by“playing” each loop at the time it is to appear in the new mix.

[0014] Either way, each time the user positions a loop in the remix thetime at which the loop is placed is recorded. In this manner, the finalproduct, i.e., the resulting remix, will be completely defined in termsof the loop definitions (e.g., starting and ending times in the originalsong) together with the time at which each of the defined loops appearsin the final mix. As a consequence, the collection of time data thatdefines the resulting remix may be compactly stored in a computer filecompletely independent from the underlying work from which the remix wascreated. The user's remix has thus been compacted into a few kilobytesof information, in contrast to the multiple megabytes that wouldotherwise be required.

[0015] According to another preferred embodiment of the instantinvention, there is provided method of digitally remixing seriallypresented information generally as described above, but wherein thedigitized subject matter is taken from a video source. Morespecifically, the instant embodiment defines video clips in an existingdigital video work by specifying a starting and an ending time (or framenumber). The user is then allowed to position the defined clips in timefor subsequent playback as a new video “mix.” Additionally, the usermight choose to have a simple “mix” that occupies the entire screen ofthe display device, or a more complex arrangement that involves multiplewindows within a single (or multiple) video display device.

[0016] As a next optional step, the user will preferably be given theopportunity to edit the resulting remix. Each time the user moves,deletes, or creates a loop in the final mix, the instant method willsimilarly edit the information that defines the remix.

[0017] The foregoing has outlined in broad terms the more importantfeatures of the invention disclosed herein so that the detaileddescription that follows may be more clearly understood, and so that thecontribution of the instant inventors to the art may be betterappreciated. The instant invention is not to be limited in itsapplication to the details of the construction and to the arrangementsof the components set forth in the following description or illustratedin the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodimentsand of being practiced and carried out in various other ways notspecifically enumerated herein. Additionally, the disclosure thatfollows is intended to apply to all alternatives, modifications andequivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Further, it should beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are forthe purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting,unless the specification specifically so limits the invention. Furtherobjects, features, and advantages of the present invention will beapparent upon examining the accompanying drawings and upon reading thefollowing description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018]FIG. 1 contains a schematic illustration of a typical prerecordedmusical work.

[0019]FIG. 2 illustrates how loops are defined and extracted from themusical work.

[0020]FIG. 3 illustrates how a user might create a remix of the originalmusical work by playing selected loops at specific times in concert withthe playing of the underlying musical work.

[0021]FIG. 4 contains a schematic illustration of how pieces of theoriginal musical work can be used in the final remix by muting/unmutingthe tracks of the musical work.

[0022]FIG. 5 illustrates how clips or “loops” might be extracted from apre-existing video work by specifying a starting time and an endingtime.

[0023]FIG. 6 contains a schematic illustration of how a video work maybe defined by the playback time positions of multiple pre-defined clipstogether with “mutes” that are applied to the underlying video work.

[0024]FIG. 7 illustrates preferred display embodiments which utilizes asingle (FIG. 7A) and multiple (FIG. 7B) display regions within a displaydevice.

[0025]FIG. 8 illustrates the general environment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] As is illustrated in FIG. 8, in a preferred arrangement theinstant invention will utilize a computer 810 that has some capacity forreading digital storage media, e.g., that device might be a CDreader/writer, etc. Further, and is customary in the industry, thecomputer will preferably be equipped with a conventional computerkeyboard 835 and mouse 830. Additionally, and is common in manymultimedia systems, one or more external speakers 840 may be attached tothe audio output of the computer 810 for use in reproduction of musicthat is read and played thereby. Still further, external electronickeyboard 820 might also be provided which would be useful, for example,in entering and playing musical notes. As is indicated in FIG. 8, themusical keyboard 820 is commonly placed into electronic communicationwith the computer by way of a MIDI or other instrument interface. Ofcourse, those skilled in the art will recognize that the electronickeyboard 820 need not be restricted to playing “notes” but, and this isespecially true with so-called sampling keyboards, each key might beassigned a different sound or “loop” which would play when theassociated key on the keyboard 820 is pressed. Of course, those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that there are many variationsand combinations of the equipment of FIG. 8 that would functionaccording to the teachings of the instant invention.

[0027] According to a preferred aspect of the instant invention there isprovided an improved method of creating and storing remixes of digitalmusical works. This method compactly stores time-based information thatdefines the remix, rather than the actual audio/video work that results,and is, thus, independent of the music or video source from which it wascreated.

[0028] As is generally illustrated in FIG. 1, a recorded work of musicmay be thought of as a series of sounds played sequentially or inparallel as a function of time. Although the casual user might think ofa musical work as consisting of only two tracks (i.e., a left and aright channel which are conventionally utilized in stereo), thoseskilled in the art will recognize that it is customary to utilize manymore tracks during the process of creating a musical work. FIG. 1illustrates such a general situation.

[0029] Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that digitalmusic is a collection of sound samples collected at some predeterminedand fixed sample rate, typically at about 40,000 samples per second orhigher. Thus, each digital sample may be associated with a specific timeas measured from the start of the song. Clearly, the sample number asmeasured from the start of the song and the time at which that samesample occurs when the music is played are interchangeable means oflocation within a musical work. Of course, SMPTE time codes are oftenused in the music and video arts and would be appropriate for use withthe instant invention.

[0030] Given the song of FIG. 1, it is desired to allow a user to make aremix of this musical work (i.e., the “base work”) preferably using onlyinformation (i.e., sounds or “loops) that may be found within the songitself. This is done as follows.

[0031] As is illustrated in FIG. 2, the user is allowed to specifycertain sections of the base work that are to act as “loops”.(Alternatively, the loops might be pre-selected by the author of theremixing program). In either case, each loop is uniquely identified bynoting the starting and ending sample number (or time) within the songover which the loop is defined. For example, Loop 1 in FIG. 2 isuniquely identified by a knowledge of the starting time (or samplenumber) 205, the ending time/sample number 210, and the track in whichthe loop is found. Loops 2 and 3 are similarly defined in terms of theirrespective starting and endings times (215-220, and 225-230,respectively) and track numbers. (For purposes of illustration, onlythree of the possibly many tracks (e.g., “N” tracks in the figure) ofthe musical work have been shown). That being said, at minimum theinstant invention requires that the base work consist of at least onetrack (e.g., be a monophonic composition).

[0032] The foregoing time boundaries define the loops for purposes ofthe next step, which is the step of creating the remix. As is generallyindicated in FIG. 3, according to the preferred embodiment a user mayplace each of the defined loops at any time position he or she mightdesire in creating the remixed work and, of course, many variations arepossible. Although the remixed work might take many forms, it isrequired that it have at least one track (i.e., required to be at leastmonophonic) so that the loops may be positioned therein for purposes oflater reply. In one preferred embodiment, each such loop placement willcomplement the music in the underlying musical work as it is played.That is, the user might choose to “play along with” or accompany (FIG.3) the underlying or “base” musical work using the defined loops asbuilding blocks from which to construct a composition. In such anarrangement, software will monitor which loop is played and the time(e.g., the starting times 305-345) at which the loop is played withinthe song. In another preferred arrangement, the user will be constrainedin the placement of his or her loops so that the resulting remix is“harmonious” according to some standard (e.g., aesthetic ormathematical) defined by the author of the software.

[0033] In still another preferred embodiment, the user will be allowedto position the loops independently from the underlying musical work.That is, in this embodiment the user will be offered an opportunity touse sounds from one song to create a completely new composition whichmay not bear much resemblance to the underlying work from which thesongs were taken. As before, the time (and, optionally, the track) atwhich is each loop appears will be noted for later storage and playback.

[0034] Also, it should be noted that, as is generally indicated in FIGS.3 and 4, the loops may be defined to sound within multiple tracks, e.g.,it is possible that two or more loops might overlap or playsimultaneously (including two copies of the same loop if that were to bedesired). Thus, the instant inventors specifically contemplate that theloops that are positioned in time (or played sequentially) by the usermight occur either in serial or parallel. FIG. 4 illustrates in ageneral way how various “mix tracks” might be created that play inparallel in the remix. Of course, although FIG. 4 illustrates the use ofonly two such tracks, the use of many more tracks is commonly done andthe creation of such multi-track musical works is common in theindustry. Additionally, it should be clear that at least one track mustbe used to form the remixed musical work.

[0035] As a next optional step, the user would normally be given theoption of editing the just-created mix to suit his or her taste. Thismight be done in many ways including, without limitation, recording overone or more of the tracks just created, moving loops around in the finalmix via a graphical use interface, direct editing of the start/end timesof the loops in the remix, etc. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat there are many ways to allow the user to edit the remixed musicalwork.

[0036] As a next step, the information that defines the instant remix isstored, preferably by writing it to disk. Note that the entireperformance/remix may be stored by noting (a) the time-definitions ofthe loops (e.g., starting time and ending time and, possibly, tracknumber in the base work) and (b) the time at which each loop plays inthe remix. Thus, the information that is stored is completelyindependent of the music from which the remix was created. Further, thismethod of storage allows a multi-megabyte performance to be stored in afew hundred bytes of storage.

[0037] As is illustrated in Table 1, in a preferred embodiment theinformation that defines each loop is stored in a single computer file,which information preferably takes the form of time and, optionally,track data. Note that the information that is stored hereinafter is onlyuseful when the original song from which the loops were taken isavailable. TABLE 1 Stored Loop Information Loop Number Start Time EndTime Track Number Loop #1 t₁ t₂ 1 Loop #2 t₃ t₄ 2 Loop #3 t₅ t₆ 1

[0038] The time values, t₁ to t₆, correspond to loop positions 205through 230 in FIG. 2 and might be, by way of example only, timemeasurements recorded to the nearest thousandth of a second. Of course,it should be clear to those skilled in the art that a starting time anda loop length (or an ending time and loop length, etc.) could be storedinstead of the starting and ending time, as all of these variationscontain equivalent information. Thus, in the text and claims thatfollows it should be understood that whenever the start/end time of aloop is mentioned, that language will apply equally to any otherindicator of location and length including, without limitation, starttime/length, starting sample number/length in samples and any othercombination which would allow a loop to be unambiguously identifiedwithin a musical work. In those circumstances where the base workconsists of a single track, recording a track number would not benecessary.

[0039] Additionally, the time (and optionally, a track number) at whicheach loop appears in the final mix is stored. The sort of informationthat would preferably be stored in a remix file is illustrated in thetable that follows. TABLE 2 Stored Play Information Loop 1 Loop 2 Loop 3(Time/Track) (Time/Track) (Time/Track) 305/1 320/1 310/2 315/1 325/1340/2 330/2 335/1 345/1

[0040] In the previous table, the time position of each loop has beenrecorded, along with an optional track number for multi-trackarrangements. For example, in the remix Loop 1 is to be played first attime 305 and on Track #1. It is to be played again at time 315 in Track#1, etc. Note that it is specifically contemplated that multiple loopsmight be played at the same time in different tracks (or combinedtogether for play within a single track) and may or may not be startedsimultaneously. Additionally, and as is illustrated above, it iscontemplated that the same loop might be reused multiple times withinthe remix and, if necessary, the loop might be “pitch shifted” orotherwise algorithmically modified to make it blend more harmoniouslyinto the resulting musical work. This is the sort of information thatwould preferably be stored in a data file that defines the remix.

[0041] Finally, if the user desires to make all or part of the originalsong a part of the final mix, as has been generally illustrated in FIG.4, those portions of the song that are to sound during the final mixmust be defined. In FIG. 4, a mute 405 (i.e., a silencing of the trackduring the time periods indicated) has been applied to various sectionsof the original musical work. Each mute is uniquely defined by itsstarting/ending time and track number. Thus, optionally this informationmight also be stored as part of the remix file. TABLE 3 Stored MuteInformation Track #1 Track #2 Track #N (Mute Start/End) (Mute Start/End). . . (Mute Start/End) 410/425 425/445 415/420 430/435 440/450

[0042] Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that, insteadof storing the start/end time of each muted interval, that the start andend of each unmuted section could be stored, the starting time andlength of the mute internal might be stored, etc.

[0043] Preferably, all of the above-identified information will bestored in a single file. Note that this information, consistingpreferably as it does of times values, is completely independent of theunderlying song (although the underlying song must be made available inorder to reconstruct the user's remix). However, the information listedabove can be stored very compactly and, a remix that might have takenmany megabytes to store as digital audio, can be stored in a fewkilobytes as a collection of times, sample numbers, track numbers, etc.

[0044] Finally, on playback the process is reversed. First, the timeinformation pertaining to the loop definitions is read from storagealong with a copy of the base work from which the remix loops weredrawn. A a preferable next step, the building-block loops are extractedfrom the base work using the start/stop times which define them. Next,each loop is positioned in time (and track number) according to theuser's remix. Then, the muted/unmuted sections of the original song aredetermined and applied. Finally, the resulting composition is performed,preferably by playing it through the speakers of a multi-media computer.Of course, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that otherhardware configurations are certainly possible and have beenspecifically contemplated by the instant inventors.

[0045] The instant inventors have additionally contemplated that furthersteps might be included in the remixing process that would assist theuser in forming the new arrangement. For example, since it is notuncommon for the tempo (i.e., the number of “beats per minute” or “BPM”)of a musical work to change during the song, a loop selected from thefirst of the song might be slightly (or substantially) out of tempo witha loop collected from the end. This might occur for many reasons, butexamples of why such might occur include human variations (i.e., it isvery difficult to play at a mathematically precise tempo throughout asong) and/or musical works wherein true changes in the tempo occur indifferent passages. In either case, it might not be possible toautomatically combine loops that are collected from different sectionsof the song because of BPM differences. In those sorts of cases, theloops in question would preferably be mathematically stretched orcompressed to cause the various BPM's to all match. Methods of doing soare generally well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0046] Another optional step would be to adjust one or more of theselected loops in pitch to make those loops more harmonious with theuser's remix arrangement. That is, those of ordinary skill in the artrecognize that a sound loop extracted from one portion of a song mightnot always be usable exactly as it is. For example, a user might wish totake a series of musical notes that are played in the key of C andtranspose those notes so that they could be used with an accompanimentplaying in the key of F. In such a case, it is possible to pitch shiftthe loop upward or downward to make it useable as the user desires. Suchoperations are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0047] Turning now to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6, according toanother preferred embodiment of the instant invention there is provideda method generally as described above, but wherein the method is appliedto other sorts of serially presented digital information such as digitalvideo. As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, digitalvideo consists of a series of digitized images (“frames”) that arepresented sequentially to a user, preferably at a rate of about 60frames per second. Additionally, audio information (e.g., a “soundtrack”) might accompany the video information and might contain dialog,background music, sound effects, etc.

[0048]FIG. 5 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the instantinvention, wherein the user defines various video clips (which areanalogous to the “loops” discussed previously) by specifying a startingtime and an ending time within the base video work. In that figure, timepoints 510 and 515 define a first video “clip”, times 520 and 525 definea second video clip, etc. Note that, although the discussion thatfollows will assume that a “time” has been used to define the extent ofthe various clips, alternatively the instant invention could operatewith a video frame number, or any other measure of the distance of aparticular image into the video work. Of course, an industry timemeasurement standard such as SMPTE time codes would preferably be usedto define the starting and ending clip boundaries.

[0049]FIG. 6 illustrates how various video clips could be combined(“mixed”) to form a new video work in the same general manner as hasbeen discussed previously. For example, in FIG. 6 the user has indicatedthat he or she wants “Clip 1” to play three times in the final work(first at time 610 and then again at times 615 and 630). “Clip 3” hasbeen positioned to bridge the “gap” between the clip at time 615 and“Clip 2” which plays at time 625. Note that “Clip 3” is positioned so asto play simultaneously with the ending of “Clip 1” and the start of“Clip 2”. According to the desires of the user, the frames that overlapmight be handled in any number of ways including, by way of example,playing both clips simultaneously (either by “adding” together the twovideo images to produce a single composite image, playing them indifferent regions/windows of the screen, etc.) or creating transitionsinto and out of Clip 3 at its beginning and ending through theapplication of any of a host of other transition effects (wipes, fades,etc.) that are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0050] Further, note that the example of FIG. 6 calls for Clip 1 (attime 630) to play simultaneously with Clip 2. Again, this might behandled in any number of ways including, for example, playing the twoclips simultaneously in a single display window, playing themsimultaneously in separate windows, etc. Clearly, the same computerprogram that allows the user to position the clip in time for playbackcould accept directions from the user as to precisely how the final workshould be composed. Further, by storing the bounding coordinates of eachwindow on the display device 700 in FIG. 7B, optionally together witheach window's display priority (i.e., whether a given window lies aboveor below any widow it overlaps), information relating to the display ofeach video track within a multi-window display may be compactly storedfor use during replay. Needless to say, the display windows need not beexclusively rectangular. Thus, when the term “bounding coordinates” isused herein, that phrase should be interpreted in its broadest sense toinclude any combination of constants or mathematical expressions thatdefine a window within the coordinate system of the display device(e.g., a center point and a radius defines the boundaries of a circularwindow).

[0051] Note also that the instant inventors contemplate that the usermight wish to use all or part of the underlying or base video work aspart of the final video work. FIG. 6 generally indicates that the sourcevideo work might be “muted” (i.e., made invisible or blacked out) atdifferent times according to the desires of the user, with the mutedbase video work comprising the third “remix” video track in that figure.As has been explained previously in connection with the audioembodiment, the muting pattern 690 that is to be applied to the originalvideo work can easily be specified by noting the various starting andending times/frame numbers of any such mutes.

[0052] As is generally illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the output videowork might be displayed within a single window 710 of display device700, i.e., the various remix video tracks created in the previous stepmight be made into a single composite track for display purposes.Alternatively, each track might be assigned to a separate “window” ofthe display device, so that the various clips play within the associatedwindow at the indicated specified by the user (e.g., in FIG. 7B windows720, 730, and 740 which play the content respectively of remix videotracks 1, 2, and 3). Obviously, combinations of these two approaches(e.g., a single window at one time and multiple windows at others) couldalso be used depending on the desires of the user.

[0053] Of course, it is conventional to have an audio track accompany avideo work and the instant method could easily be adapted to move theexisting audio information along with each user-defined clip so that theassociated audio would play each time its video loop was played. Ofcourse, that sort of treatment might make sense for some sorts of audio(e.g., dialog and sound effects) but not others (e.g., the backgroundmusic). Alternatively, the user might elect to compose a new sound trackby using sound loops taken from the base video work, in which case thenew audio work be treated as a separate musical composition and wouldpreferably be handled as has been discussed previously.

[0054] The final product of the above-discussed steps is a collection oftimes (and, optionally, window numbers/coordinates, track numbers, etc.)which define a remixed video work without any reference to theunderlying work. The resulting “mix” can be stored and transmitted in avery compact fashion compared with the amount of data that would need tobe stored to transmit the mix itself. The method of reconstructing thevideo arrangement from the times and other data that have been specifiedby the user proceeds exactly as has been described previously for theaudio-only embodiment.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above method has produced acompact data file which defines a musical, video, or combination, “mix”in a very compact fashion and without reference to the underlying work.Of course, the underlying work is still needed when the remixed work isreconstructed, but only a single copy of that work need be maintained ondisk, even though the user has created a multitude of differentarrangements of it. Additionally, when the term “store” or the phrase“store on computer readable media” is used herein, that term/phraseshould be understood in its broadest sense to include compact disks(“CD”), CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, magnetic disk, magnetic tape,magneto-optical disk, RAM, EPROM, nonvolatile RAM, or any other storageor mass storage hardware suitable for holding digital informationtherein for later recall.

[0056] Other preferred embodiments of the instant invention mightinclude the ability to store, in addition to the defining timeinformation, a loop volume (e.g., velocity information in the case of akeyboard instrument) or other performance/controller information thatshould be applied when the loop is played in the remix. For example, bystoring a volume along with the time at which each loop is played, theuser may create remixes that include different dynamics throughout orone in which the various tracks are increased/decreased in volumerelative to each other. Other controller information, such as pitch benddata, breath controller data, etc., could similarly be stored for laterapplication during the playing of the remix.

[0057] In summary, the instant invention is allows the user to create ahighly compact data file that completely expresses a remix of anexisting musical and/or video work and which is not dependent on theparticular work that is remixed. By recording the starting time andlength of each loop in the base work, together with occurrence time andtrack number of each appearance of each loop in the remixed work, theinstant invention can store in a few kilobytes information that mightotherwise require several megabytes. Although the instant inventionpreferably utilizes portions of the original work in the remix, itshould be noted that, if desired, other loops could be imported into themix (e.g., drum loops, etc.) to be played along with the remix that hasbeen created from the sounds in a single musical/video work. However, inthis case, it would be necessary to provide the original loop/video clipand store it, along with the loops/clips taken from the original work,in order to reconstruct the final mix.

[0058] While the inventive device has been described and illustratedherein by reference to certain preferred embodiments in relation to thedrawings attached hereto, various changes and further modifications,apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made therein by thoseskilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventiveconcept, the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of storing a remixed musical work,wherein is provided a base musical work, comprising the steps of: (a)selecting a plurality of loops from within said base musical work, eachof said selected plurality of loops having a loop starting time and anloop ending time associated therewith; (b) using said selected loops toform a remixed musical work, wherein (b1) said remixed musical workconsists of at least one track, and, (b2) wherein at least one of saidat least one tracks contains at least two of said selected loopstherein; (c) selecting a particular loop from among said selected loopsused to form said remixed musical work; (d) determining at least astarting time within said remixed musical work corresponding to eachoccurrence of said particular loop therein, thereby producing at leastone remix starting time associated with said particular loop (e) storingon computer readable media a value representative of each remix startingtime produced in step (d); (f) storing on computer readable media valuesrepresentative of said starting time and said ending time within saidbase musical work of said particular loop; and, (g) repeating steps (c)through (f) until each of said selected loops have been selected,thereby storing a representation of said remixed musical work.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises: (d1)determining at least a starting time and a track number within saidremixed musical work corresponding to each occurrence of said particularloop therein, thereby producing at least one remix starting time and oneremix track number associated with said particular loop, and, whereinstep (e) further comprises: (e1) storing on computer readable media avalue representative of any remix starting time and any remix tracknumber produced in step (d1);
 3. The method according to claim 1,wherein the remixed musical work comprises a plurality of tracks.
 4. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the computer readable media ofsteps (e) and (f) is chosen from the group consisting of computer RAM,computer ROM, a PROM chip, flash RAM, a ROM card, a RAM card, a floppydisk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk, anoptical disk, a CD-R disk, a CD-RW disk, a DVD-R disk, or a DVD-RW disk.5. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (e) and (f) furthercomprise the steps of: (e1) storing on computer readable media within acomputer file a value representative of each remix starting timeproduced in step (d), and, (e2) storing on computer readable mediawithin said computer file values representative of said starting timeand said ending time within said based musical work of said particularloop.
 6. A method of playing said remixed musical work, wherein isprovided said computer readable media of claim 1 and said base musicalwork, comprising the steps of: (a) reading from said computer readablemedia at least a portion of said stored values representative of eachremix staring time within said remixed musical work; (b) reading fromsaid computer readable media at least a portion of said stored valuesrepresentative of said loop starting times and ending times within saidbase musical work; (c) using said read values representative of saidloop starting times and ending times to extract from said base work aplurality of song loops corresponding thereto; (d) using at least saidread remix starting times and extracted plurality of song loops to playat least a portion of said remixed musical work.
 7. A device adapted foruse by a digital computer wherein a plurality of computer instructionsdefining the method of claim 1 are encoded, said device being readableby said digital computer, said computer instructions programming saiddigital computer to perform said method, and, said device being selectedfrom the group consisting of computer RAM, computer ROM, a PROM chip,flash RAM, a ROM card, a RAM card, a floppy disk, a magnetic disk, amagnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, a CD-ROM disk,or a DVD disk.
 8. A method of storing a remixed musical work, wherein isprovided a base musical work and a plurality of loops drawn therefrom,each of said plurality of loops having at least a starting time and anending time within said base musical work associated therewith,comprising the steps of: (a) using at least a portion of said pluralityof loops to form a musical work, (a1) wherein said musical work consistsof at least one track, (a2) wherein at least one of said at least onetracks contains at least two of said plurality of loops therein, and,(a3) wherein each of said plurality of loops used in said musical workhas at least a starting time within said musical work associatedtherewith; (b) applying at least one mute to said musical work, therebyforming said remixed musical work, each of said at least one mutesapplied to said musical work having a starting mute time and an endingmute time within said remixed musical work associated therewith; (c)determining at least a remix starting time associated with eachoccurrence of each of said plurality of loops used in said remixedmusical work; (d) storing on computer readable media valuesrepresentative of each remix starting time determined in step (c); (e)storing on computer readable media values representative of saidstarting time and said ending time within said base musical work of saidloops used to form said remixed musical work; and, (f) storing oncomputer readable media values representative of each starting mute timeand ending mute time applied in step (b), thereby storing arepresentation of said remixed musical work.
 9. The method according toclaim 8, wherein step (c) further comprises: (c1) determining at least aremix starting time and a track number associated with each occurrenceof each of said plurality of loops used in said remixed musical work,and, wherein step (d) further comprises: (d1) storing on computerreadable media values representative of each remix starting time andeach track number determined in step (c1).
 10. The method according toclaim 8, wherein the remixed musical work comprises a plurality oftracks.
 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the computerreadable media of steps (e) and (f) is chosen from the group consistingof computer RAM, computer ROM, a PROM chip, flash RAM, a ROM card, a RAMcard, a floppy disk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto-opticaldisk, an optical disk, a CD-R disk, a CD-RW disk, a DVD-R disk, or aDVD-RW disk.
 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein steps (d),(e), and (f) further comprise the steps of: (d1) storing on computerreadable media within a computer file values representative of eachremix starting time determined in step (c); (e1) storing on computerreadable media within said computer file values representative of saidstarting time and said ending time within said base musical work of saidloops used to form said remixed musical work; and, (f1) storing oncomputer readable media within said computer file values representativeof each starting mute time and ending mute time applied in step (b). 13.A method of playing said remixed musical work, wherein is provided saidcomputer readable media of claim 8 and said base musical work,comprising the steps of: (a) reading from said computer readable mediaat least a portion of said stored alues representative of each remixstaring time within said remixed musical work; (b) reading from saidcomputer readable media at least a portion of said stored valuesrepresentative of said loop starting times and ending times within saidbase musical work; (c) reading from said computer readable media atleast one stored mute starting time and ending time; (d) using said readvalues representative of said loop starting times and ending times toextract from said base work a plurality of song loops correspondingthereto; (e) using at least said read remix starting times, extractedplurality of song loops, and said at least one mute to play at least aportion of said remixed musical work.
 14. A method of storing a remixedvideo work, wherein is provided a base video work and a plurality ofvideo loops drawn therefrom, each of said plurality of video loopshaving at least a starting time and an ending time within said basevideo work associated therewith, comprising the steps of: (a) using atleast a portion of said video of loops to form a remixed video work,(a1) wherein said remixed video work consists of at least one displaywindow, (a2) wherein at least one of said at least one display windowsis for playing at least two of said plurality of video loops therein,and, (a3) wherein each of said plurality of loops used in said remixedvideo work has at least a starting time within said remixed video workassociated therewith; (b) determining at least a remix starting timeassociated with each occurrence of each of said plurality of video loopsused in said remixed video work; (c) storing on computer readable mediavalues representative of each remix starting time determined in step(b); and, (d) storing on computer readable media values representativeof said starting time and said ending time within said base video workof said loops used to form said remixed video work, thereby storing arepresentation of said remixed video work.
 15. The method according toclaim 14, wherein the remixed video work comprises a plurality ofdisplay windows and wherein at least one video clip is displayed in afirst display window and wherein a plurality of video clips aredisplayed in a second window.
 16. The method according to claim 15,further comprising the steps of: (e) determining the boundingcoordinates of each of said plurality of display windows; and, (f)storing on computer readable media values representative of saidbounding coordinates of said plurality of display windows.
 17. Themethod according to claim 14, wherein the computer readable media ofsteps (c) and (d) is chosen from the group consisting of computer RAM,computer ROM, a PROM chip, flash RAM, a ROM card, a RAM card, a floppydisk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk, anoptical disk, a CD-R disk, a CD-RW disk, a DVD-R disk, or a DVD-RW disk.18. A device adapted for use by a digital computer wherein a pluralityof computer instructions defining the method of claim 14 are encoded,said device being readable by said digital computer, said computerinstructions programming said digital computer to perform said method,and, said device being selected from the group consisting of computerRAM, computer ROM, a PROM chip, flash RAM, a ROM card, a RAM card, afloppy disk, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical disk,an optical disk, a CD-ROM disk, or a DVD disk.
 19. A method ofdisplaying said remixed video work, wherein is provided said computerreadable media of claim 14 and said base video work, comprising thesteps of: (a) reading from said computer readable media at least aportion of said stored values representative of each remix staring timewithin said remixed video work; (b) reading from said computer readablemedia at least a portion of said values representative of said videoloop starting times and ending times within said base video work; (c)using said read values representative of said video loop starting timesand ending times to extract from said base video work a plurality ofvideo loops corresponding thereto; (d) using at least said read remixstarting times and extracted plurality of video loops to display atleast a portion of said remixed video work.